Safe
by Hope Meijer
Summary: Tag for 'Father's Day'. 9thDoctorxRose hints.


Author's Note: My first exploratory fic into the Doctor Who fandom...Plus the whole Ninth Dr/Rose relationship. Come on, I started with the fifth episode, and it was glaringly obvious he had feelings for her! Please be nice. Really random series of thoughts just after the events of 'Father's Day'.

Excuse the formatting. I hate the new QuickEdit.

Dedication: Anni, for her observation; "God, it's gonna be like Carter/O'Neill!" (For those of you who do not understand...watch Stargate SG-1!)

Summary: Tag for 'Father's Day'. Ninth Dr/Rose hint.

* * *

SAFE

* * *

His hand was so warm. She felt safe. 

She bit her lip, fighting back tears of both grief and joy. She had lost one, but gained another.

He squeezed her hand lightly, keeping a firm grip on her as they stepped into the TARDIS, and as she pulled away into the main control area, she vaguely heard him yell something. The actual words didn't pierce the haze of shock that surrounded her.

"You okay?"

She glanced up, and realised the Doctor had shut the door and was standing next to her, looking concernedly at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine...I'm just gonna go to my room..."

When she didn't move, he raised an eyebrow at her and indicated with his hand. "Your room is that way, y'know..."

With a loud sob, she threw herself at him, and he found himself in a tight hug. Her face was buried in his leather jacket, and she was murmuring "You're safe...You're alive...It's all okay..." over and over again.

"Are you delirious?" he questioned, unsure how to deal with her mood swings. There was a snort, and she pulled back, giving him the half smile that could only be given when someone was laughing and crying at the same time. She pulled in a shuddering breath, and nodded quickly, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeves. "You'd better not have got my jacket wet."

"I forgot to put on waterproof mascara," she gave him a sheepish look and turned to walk back to her room.

"Call me if you need anything," he called after her, still contemplating the meaning of her outburst.

She looked over her shoulder at him, sniffed quietly and nodded.

"I will."

* * *

"D'you want some hot chocolate?" 

She was curled up on her bed, having made herself a nest from the covers and pillows. She blinked blearily up at him, having just woken up from a light doze she had slipped into soon after she had lay down.

"Yeah."

The Doctor sat down on the edge of the bed and handed her a mug of steaming liquid. The TARDIS was still a mystery to Rose, but she assumed that it had read her mood and had provided the Doctor with the most obvious solution to the problem of comfort – hot chocolate. She gratefully accepted it, and sat up, whilst he swung his legs up and leant against the headboard. She sat by his side, so they were almost touching, but not quite.

"You wanna talk about it?"

She almost laughed, but managed to hold it in. The Doctor was not the sort of person who would openly talk about his problems, and was even more reluctant to listen and help other people with theirs. His voice was unusually quiet, and she knew he was serious.

"Yeah."

And it all came out. How her father had died the first time; how she had gone back and rescued him and brought about the 'end of the world' situation; how he had proven to be a heroic father even after she had seen his true nature. How she had stood and watched as the Doctor himself had been taken by a 'reaper'.

At first she thought that he didn't believe her – after all, who would? It was such a wild story that no one on earth would believe it. But then, she rationalised, they weren't on Earth, he wasn't _from_ Earth, and how else would she have known about the 'reapers' and what would result if she had touched baby Rose?

He sat quietly, thoughtfully, for a minute, studying her. She could feel his eyes on her, even when she closed her own, battling the fresh wave of tears that were surfacing. She had seen and done things that no one could even begin to imagine, and it was taking its toll on her.

"C'mere," the Doctor murmured after a while.

And she felt herself being pulled into his embrace, and she could smell the soft, familiar scent of his jacket, and she knew she was safe.

* * *

"What's the meaning of life?" 

The Doctor rolled over, grunted, and closed his eyes again.

"It's forty-two. Everyone knows that."

She couldn't help but smile, and crawled under the covers next to him. He was only half-awake, and he was usually quite fun to provoke at that point. One never knew what he would come out with.

"You're cold," he muttered, facing her.

"And scared," she added inaudibly.

Apparently even half-awake his hearing was excellent.

"Don't be." He was so sincere, and she felt for his hand and squeezed it.

"I know."

There were a couple of minutes of silence, and then she felt the bed move as he propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at her. "What are you doing in my bed?"

"I had a nightmare," she admitted.

He asked no more, merely pulled her into his arms – he had been doing that a lot recently, she realised – and settled them both down.

And as she fell into a dreamless sleep, no longer haunted by images of losing both of the most important men in her life, she heard a soothing voice whispering in her ear.

"You're safe here."

* * *

Jackie Tyler stood on the pavement and watched as the strange girl joined the man in the black jacket and walked hand-in-hand with him to the police box on the corner. 

She swore that had never been there before.

She was surrounded by people, jostling to see the accident; to see the tragedy that had befallen her on that crisp November day, but even over the noise she could hear one clear voice travelling from the man in the black jacket.

"Tell Mickey he'll hate Rose when she's older!" He winked as he said it.

And then they were gone.

* * *

Author's Note: Weird. Anyone notice the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference in there? Come on, everyone knows it! It's the best book ever – and of course, it's also one of the best films too. 

I know, it's so strange; I don't even know why I wrote it. Just found this episode rather touching, especially as I watched it with my dad. Anyway, review. Tell me what you think...it's my first try at Dr Who fics, and also I haven't written for a little while, so I'm trying to get my old style back.


End file.
